"The Mail exploit draws on previous work by security consultant Adam Laurie and others, and puts together vulnerabilities in the chip technology, and in the chip security and logistics systems used by the Identity & Passport Service"

Good Afternoon Mr. Armey,

My name is Thomas DeLaine and I want to write you regarding the opinion piece you wrote in the Washington Post on October 29th, 2006.  I am not a Republican or Democrat since I personally believe these two political parties are just different shades of the same form of governance.  I figure that you may have received positive and negative emails regarding your opinions, but I would like to provide you my feedback as food for thought as you and your think tank move forward into the future.

Your statement that "The answer is simple: Republican lawmakers forgot the party's principles, became enamored with power and position, and began putting politics over policy. Now, the Democrats are reaping the rewards of our neglect -- and we have no one to blame but ourselves" is extremely correct and insightful.  However, I think it goes much deeper than that.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: As the country moves boldly towards historic vote, humanitarian concerns continue to demand attention

As the world is applauding the determination of the Congolese people and leadership to take a crucial step in the country's transition from a bloody civil war to peace and democracy, the steep humanitarian challenges facing the devastated nation must not be forgotten.

Voting simulation exercise prior to the National elections which took
place on 30 July 2006, Mendako, Commune de Maluku, Kinshasa, DRC,
July 2006. MONUC Photo/Serge Kasanga

An estimated 4 million people killed since 1998.

Approximately 6,000 women and girls have been identified as victims of sexual violence.

Against this backdrop of war, violence, and despair, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) begins a new page in its history.  On July 30th, 2006 the DRC bravely held its first multiparty elections in 45 years.  This election faced difficult challenges; include a plea by the Catholic Church to boycott the elections.  During a recent interview, Dr Jo Lusi, a Senator in the DRC transition government, emphasized the need to continue moving forward with the democratic progress:

"Actually, it is true, we really think that democracy is about tolerating people who have different ideas. They are right, there are mistakes, but we still need some democracy at least to begin working on that ground. And I can really say that we're tired. And after this long, long suffering we said it is the time now to try something else."

"Outside of the chaos we want to rebuild and to come again together. That will work. We call it democracy, we call it order, we call it sitting together, we call it tolerating one another. That is democracy"

(Continued)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: As the country moves boldly towards historic vote, humanitarian concerns continue to demand attention

As the world is applauding the determination of the Congolese people and leadership to take a crucial step in the country's transition from a bloody civil war to peace and democracy, the steep humanitarian challenges facing the devastated nation must not be forgotten.

Scale of Humanitarian Challenges
The DRC is Africa's third largest country, comparable in size to Western Europe. It is five times larger than Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone combined, with more than twice their population - over 62 million.

The map of Democratic Republic of Congo from CIA World Factbook

Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the DRC gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability.  Bordered by Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, the DRC has endured civil war and numerous coups since 1960.  
With nearly 80 per cent of the population trapped in extreme poverty and more than 70 per cent undernourished, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has appealed for $50 million to support the agricultural rehabilitation of this vast country.  The United Nations reports that DRC's maternal mortality ratio of 1,300 deaths per 100,000 live births ranks as one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in Africa.  Life expectancy averages 51.46 years (men - 50.01 years, women - 52.94 years) as estimated in the CIA Fact book, June 2006.

(Continued)

I never had the opportunity to meet Buster.  Being a person who enjoys the companionship of a dog, Buster was one of the reasons I decided to stop in and see what Booman Tribune was all about.  His face truly reveals the patience and warmth that I just wish we all could show each day. Looking with love and anticipation of acceptance, Buster spoke to me in a way that no comment or dairy could never imagine.  I figured that if Booman could love such a wonderful creature, maybe I should stop and spend some time listening to the words he has to say.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) - A shopkeeper outside the U.S.-led coalition headquarters in Afghanistan was selling computer memory drives Wednesday containing seemingly sensitive military data stolen from inside the base - including the Social Security numbers of four American generals

So, I guess the American forces in Afghanistan did not remember their Operational Security (OPSEC) training after all!  This reflects poor training and lack of focus on getting things right the first time.

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This morning, I had the opportunity to read an interesting diary entry on Booman Tribune called Good Christians.  The focus of this entry was to show how fundamentalism within religious groups is threatening to destroy the foundational principles upon which the United States was built.  I can agree that religious extremists are ruling the day; however, the issue is more than fighting back to opposite these religious groups, in my opinion.  The real issue arises when the discussion turns to dealing with the waves of "religious extremists" in a manner that is constructive and meaningful.  The anger and frustration that is produced may not solve the problem, but only empower the extremists - otherwise know as "fighting fire with fire!"  What is the end result?  In most cases, tempers flare, name calling is the "tool du jour" and everyone ends up standing in their own corner of the room with arms folded, lips pouting and no real resolutions come to the surface. (The vision of two little kids standing in separate corners of a room glaring at each other comes to mind!)

Continuing our discussion on free will and its impact on our lives; let's proceed to another important word that provides us with additional insight on our behavior towards others.  For your reference, the scripture is provided below:

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." - Revelations 3:20 (King James Version)

Previously, we discussed the definition of stand and its relevance to the decisions we make each day.  The next word that we will address is knock.  It is word that defines the action towards the object we are standing in front (i.e., the door in this instance.).  It can be best defined as:

"To strike a sharp audible blow or series of blows, as on a door"

This action is used to gain attention of the individual on the other side of the door.  It is similar to a phone ringing.  Someone is trying to contact you for a specific reason and believes that reason is so important, you should respond.  The knock is a simple request and it is up to the other person, behind the door, to decide if they will respond to the request.  There is no obligation for the individual behind the door to respond, similar to not picking up the phone when it rings.

In pursuit of a better understanding of what free will means, let's explore a specific scripture in the New Testament (Christian Scriptures for the theological and political correct group) that I believe brings some new insight to this discussion.

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." - Revelations 3:20 (King James Version)

This passage reveals some things that many of us may not see at first, but speaks volumes to the behavior that we, as human beings, should think about.  First, these words are associated with Jesus Christ, not one of his disciples or prophets.  This is very important since most of the critics that are raising their voices have identified themselves as Christians who follow the example of Jesus Christ. Keep this in the back on your mind we continue this examination of Jesus Christ's words revealed in this passage.

Any discussions about free will bring up a myriad of ideas, philosophies and contextual arguments that I must confess, spins my mind in many directions at once.  I believe, however, that free will is central to current debates that consume our social and political landscapes.  The increased focus of religious principles on our society has caused a defined split between those who view many of the proposed changes as divine (ordained by God [according to which God these individuals believe in]) versus others who see these proposed changes as edicts being forced upon them against their will.

Thus, the debates are being framed in such black and white terms, it is hard to see beyond the arguments and understand the principles behind them.  Add to this, the U.S. Declaration of Independence states: We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  You see how quickly things can spiral out of control and the end results are conflict and confusion but no real communication is derived.

It is important to understand free will is more than just "I get to do what I want to do because I want to do it!"  This philosophical concept strikes to the core of our being.  Each day we are presented with choices and we "decide" to do something.  From waking up, going to work, eating lunch, seeing a movie, every human being makes decisions that they must accept the "consequences" of each and every day.  Some decisions are easy to make, others are much more difficult.  Since the focus of Booman Tribune is political activism, this diary will focus on how free will drives and motivates policy decisions within the United States.

More below the fold